 |
| Image: Flickr User - U.S. Department of State |
By Huseyn Panahov
An election this month will tell the story.
When the P5+1 struck a deal with Iran on its nuclear program in July 2015, general expectations were that the sanctions could be lifted as early as spring 2016. Within the agreed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iranian Foreign Ministry signed several obligations that needed time for legislative approval and final implementation. However, on January 16, the IAEA experts reported that Iran had already fulfilled all of its obligations; the sanctions were lifted the same day. This was a breakthrough for the Rouhani administration, which needed to complete the deal before elections slated for late this month. The elections will be crucial to determining whether Iran will adhere to the commitments it made under the deal.
The JCPOA does not envisage lifting all sanctions against Tehran, only those tied to the nuclear enrichment program. As noted in the White House summary of the agreement “U.S. statutory sanctions focused on Iran’s support for terrorism, human rights abuses, and missile activities will remain in effect and continue to be enforced.” That means the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which bears the primary responsibility for the crackdown on civil society groups in Iran and supports military proxies across the Middle East, will largely remain under the sanctions.
The IRGC, also known as Pasdaran, was established following Iran’s 1979 Revolution, and was charged with protecting the Islamic system of governance. Nowadays, through its Special Forces branch, known as the Quds Force, the IRGC supports militant groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis forces in Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq. Pasdaran is also the main benefactor of the Assad regime in Syria.
Read the full story at The Diplomat